The present invention relates to modifying video images, in particular varying features of a person on live video.
Software has existed for some time to modify images, such as a person's face. U.S. Pat. No. 5,825,941 is an example of software allowing a patient to see the effects of proposed plastic surgery before it is done. Other software allows users to modify static pictures that can be saved and printed, such as by varying the features of the face or morphing two faces together. US Published Application No. 20050026685 shows a system for morphing video game characters. US Published Application No. 20040201666 shows using user voice or other inputs to modify a virtual character.
A variety of applications are directed to modifying avatars for use with instant messaging. These applications allow a user to personalize the avatar image that is the representation of the user. For example, U.S. Published Application No. 20030043153 shows determining facial expressions from a webcam video feed and mapping those expressions to an avatar. An animation vector is mapped to a target mix vector. Each morph target may represent a facial expression, such as a neutral facial expression, a surprised facial expression, an angry facial expression, and a smiling facial expression.